The West Central Medical Response System presented bags of supplies to deal with medical emergencies Thursday to Emergency Medical Service groups throughout the area.

The "mass casualty triage bags" were presented to Perkins County, North Platte, Stapleton, Brady, Wallace, Maxwell, Sutherland, and Thedford EMS units during the EMS Run Review meeting in North Platte.

Overall, 40 triage bags will be provided to EMS ambulance units in the 16-county West Central Medical Response System region, Susan Mulligan of the Great Plains Regional Medical Center said.

The equipment and training will help EMS personnel sort and group injured victims by severity of injuries. Treatement can then be prioritized by injury severity and transported to hospitals first.

The bags will be carried in ambulance units.

The intent is to help EMS ambulances give a uniform response and improve integration of emergency medical services in the West Central Medical Response System, response plan and participation in WCMRS disaster drill exercises.

Systematic response

The purpose of the Nebraska Regional Medical Response Systems is to prepare local medical systems, including fire, law enforcement, emergency management, government entities and community organizations, for an integrated, coordinated response to any disaster situation, Mulligan said.